Quick Facts
Biography
Thomas A. "Tom" Jorgensen, Jr., sometimes known as Jorgy, (died November 29, 2013 at the age of 78) was an American former basketball coach and player. He was the head coach of the Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball from 1966 to 1973, compiling a record of 95–61 (.609). He played college basketball at the University of Michigan from 1953 to 1956. He was also an assistant basketball coach at Michigan from 1960 to 1966.
Early years
Jorgensen attended Parker High School in the Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
University of Michigan
Jorgensen played college basketball at the University of Michigan from 1953 to 1956. He was the team's second leading scorer for three consecutive years. He had a career total of 862 points for the Wolverines. He was also selected as the captain of the 1955–56 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. In 1955, The Michigan Daily wrote of Jorgensen: "His deadly outside set shot and excellent dribbling ability made him one of the Big Ten's best all-around ballplayers."
Coaching and scouting career
After graduating from Michigan, Jorgensen became a basketball coach at Maumee High School near Toledo, Ohio. He also played in the Toledo Amateur Basketball Federation where he was the high scorer in 1957.
Jorgensen was hired in 1960 as an assistant basketball coach under Dave Strack at Michigan. He remained in that position through 1966.
In 1966, Jorgensen was hired as the head coach of the Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team He remained there for seven seasons. He compiled a record of 95–61 (.609) at Northern Illinois and led the team to the 1972 Mid-Continent Conference championship. Jorgensen's 1971-72 team defeated No. 5-ranked Indiana (85-71) and was ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press poll. Jorgensen resigned as the head coach at Northern Illinois in March 1973. Jorgensen was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
In February 1975, Joregensen was hired as the supervisor of basketball officials for the Western Athletic Conference.
In 1988, Jorgensen was hired as the chief scout for the Charlotte Hornets.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Illinois (Mid-Continent Conference) (1966–1973) | |||||||||
| 1966–67 | Northern Illinois | 8–12 | |||||||
| 1967–68 | Northern Illinois | 10–14 | |||||||
| 1968–69 | Northern Illinois | 13–11 | |||||||
| 1969–70 | Northern Illinois | 13–12 | |||||||
| 1970–71 | Northern Illinois | 13–10 | 4–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1971–72 | Northern Illinois | 21–4 | 7–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1972–73 | Northern Illinois | 17–8 | |||||||
| Northern Illinois: | 82–49 (.626) | 11–5 (.688) | |||||||
| Total: | 95–61 (.609) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||